1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a bracket for securing a side airbag for an automotive vehicle and, more particularly, to a bracket for securing a side airbag for an automotive vehicle, which easily secures the side airbag and is prevented from being broken or deformed when it is fastened by a bolt.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In addition to a safety belt, generally, an airbag module installed in an automotive vehicle is a device for maximally protecting an occupant against injury when the automotive vehicle crashes.
An airbag module is typically installed in or around a steering wheel of a driver seat and in an instrument panel of a passenger seat. When an automotive vehicle crashes, the airbag module is operatively connected to a safety belt by a crash sensing sensor and an electronic control unit (hereinafter, referred to as “ECU”), and it maximally protects an occupant against injury.
That is, when an automotive vehicle crashes, the crash sensing sensor outputs a crash sensing signal to the ECU. The ECU determines whether to operate an airbag, depending on the intensity of the crash. If the airbag needs to be operated, the ECU operates an inflator to inflate the airbag.
In recent years, an airbag module has been installed at a side in an automotive vehicle, to protect an occupant upon a side impact crash.
The airbag module installed at the side of an automotive vehicle is generally called a ‘side airbag.’
The side airbag is installed in an A-pillar which is connected from the front passenger seat to the back seat. When side impact is applied, the side airbag is inflated by the operation of the inflator.
In this application, a side airbag is used for an automotive vehicle, which prevents excessive inflation pressure from being applied to a lower end part of the side airbag to be deployed when the vehicle encounters a side crash, and balances the inflation pressure by an injected gas in a thorax bag and a head bag to reduce shaking when the side airbag is inflated and improves the work efficiency upon manufacture.
The constitution of a side airbag will be described, in brief, with reference to FIG. 1A. The side airbag comprises: a thorax bag 12 and a head bag 11 to be deployed upon a side crash. The thorax bag 12 comprises a mounting part 14 and a lower end part 16. The mounting part 14 has a neck shape at a rear side of the thorax bag 12. The lower end part 16 is formed at a distance from the mounting part 14.
An upper part and a lower part of the side airbag are formed symmetrically, based on the center of the mounting part 14. A tether 13 is positioned between the thorax bag 12 and the head bag 11. A vent aperture is formed in the side airbag at a distance from the mounting part 14. A pulling plate 15 is symmetrical with the thorax bag 12, and the thorax bag 12 is extended from the head bag 11.
The aforementioned side airbag is installed by fastening a bolt to the A-pillar of the automotive vehicle. To install the side airbag onto the A-pillar, additional securing devices are needed.
That is, a number of brackets, each having a securing aperture into which a bolt is inserted, are positioned at predetermined positions of the side airbag and are secured by fastening bolts.
An example of a conventional securing device of the aforementioned side airbag will be described with reference to FIG. 1B. A bracket 3a with a welding bolt 2a is welded at one side of a back part frame 1a. A back part 7a with a pad 5a covered by a cover 6a is positioned at one side of an installation space 4a of the side airbag.
The end of the cover 6a is inserted into the airbag installation space 4a. Therefore, one side of each of the airbag housing 8a and the airbag door 9a is positioned inside a support wire 10a, and the other side of each of the airbag housing 8a and the airbag door 9a is fixed to the welding bolt 2a of the bracket 3a. 
However, since the conventional bracket for securing the side airbag is usually made of plastics, the bracket is broken or deformed while the bolt is fastened and therefore, the bracket cannot perform its function. Moreover, since this problem makes it impossible for the side airbag to be normally operated, an occupant is fatally injured.
Another conventional side airbag 30 comprises: an airbag which is installed inside a headlining of a roof side panel; an inflator which is installed at one side of the airbag and which has a gas generating material to deploy the airbag upon a side crash; and a guide member with one side end which is connected to the airbag and the other side end which is positioned to pivot around the roof side panel.
The constitution of the aforementioned side airbag 30 will be described, in detail, with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B.
As described in FIG. 2, a headlining 21 is composed of plastics which are attached to the ceiling inside an automotive vehicle. Basic materials of the headlining 21 are the surface and pad with the functions, such as insulation from the roof, insulation of sound, or absorption of sound inside the vehicle and the like. The headlining 21 is formed integrally with these surface and pad.
As a device to perform an operation of deploying the side airbag 30, an inflator 40 rapidly burns a gas generating material including an element of sodium nitrite, and the like, by using an igniter and simultaneously generates nitrogen gas. The inflator 40 is secured to a roof side panel 25 by a separate bracket 41.
A strap 31 (hereinafter, referred to as “connection strap”) is positioned at the other side of the inflator 40. The strap 31 prevents one side of the side airbag 30 from waving when the airbag 30 is deployed by the inflator. This is illustrated in FIG. 2B.
However, since the conventional side airbag has no specific structure to hold the connection strap, it is troublesome to assemble the side airbag in the A-pillar due to the interference between the A-pillar and the connection strap.
That is, an operator in a manufacturing site needs to check whether there is the interference with the connection strap when assembling the side airbag in the A-pillar. When the interference occurs, a process of avoiding the interference is added. As a result, a working time becomes longer and the assembling efficiency is deteriorated.
Further, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, a conventional bracket 50 for securing a side airbag has a shape in which a connection strap 52 is connected to a simply long rectangular aperture 51. Therefore, the bracket 50 is not properly connected to the connection strap 52.
That is, since the connection strap 52 is movable in the bracket 50, the connection strap 52 turns within the rectangular aperture 51 of the bracket 50, as illustrated in FIG. 3B.
Therefore, when the side airbag is mounted in an automotive vehicle, there are added a process of checking whether a state of the bracket is good or bad and, if the connection strap 52 turns, a process of returning the connection strap 52 to its original position. Consequently, the work becomes troublesome.
Moreover, the bracket 50 is pulled towards the side airbag due to momentary gas explosive power which is generated while the side airbag is operated upon an accident. In this case, the connection strap 52 inclines towards a lower part of the rectangular aperture 51 as illustrated in FIG. 3C. Consequently, the side airbag is not stably secured.
Moreover, when a connection strap 52 is cut by the friction caused during the accident, the side airbag is not inflated in a normal direction, upon the side crash.
Another conventional side airbag 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B.
As illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the side airbag 60 comprises: a side airbag cushion 61, an inflator 62 supplying a gas to the side airbag cushion 61, a housing receiving the inflator 62, and a diffuser 64 included in the side airbag 60 and supplying a gas, which is generated from the inflator 62, to the side airbag cushion 61.
The inflator 62 is electrically connected to a control unit (not shown). The control unit is connected to a crash sensing sensor (not shown) in an automotive vehicle.
The side airbag cushion 61 is formed, at predetermined width and length, to sufficiently protect a head part of an occupant of the automotive vehicle. A tether 65 is provided in one part of an end of the side airbag cushion 61. The tether 65 guides the side airbag 60 to be broadly inflated lengthwise or widthwise when the side airbag 60 is deployed.
The diffuser 64 has a tube shape. A number of apertures (not shown) are formed, to be positioned lengthwise, on an outer circumference surface of the diffuser 64. While the diffuser 64 is received inside an upper end part of the side airbag 60, one end of the diffuser 64 is connected to the housing 63 receiving the inflator 62.
When the diffuser 64 and the housing 63 are connected to each other, a holder 66 fastens a part of the side airbag 60 which covers the connection part of the diffuser 64 and the housing 63, to be sealed.
A number of holders 67 are connected to the upper end of the side airbag 60, at a predetermined interval. The holders 67 secure the side airbag cushion 61 to a roof rail. The holders 67 cover an external surface of a side airbag housing 68 and temporarily hold the side airbag housing 68. The side airbag housing 68 covers the side airbag cushion 61 which is folded.
However, in the conventional side airbag 60, the holders 67 securing the side airbag 60 are formed of a single material. When the holders 67 are made of a soft material, an additional component is needed to prevent the holders 67 from being broken when the side airbag 60 is secured to the automotive vehicle by fastening a bolt. When the holders are made of a hard material to prevent the holders from being broken, there is a difficulty in cutting a cutting part when the side airbag 60 is deployed.
Further, in the aforementioned conventional side airbag 60, a space of each holder 67 is narrow and a shape of the holder 67 is gradually narrower downwardly. Therefore, since a region for supporting the side airbag 60 is narrow, many holders 67 are needed. This results in a longer working time in the manufacturing site.
That is, when the conventional side airbag 60 is mounted, since the additional components are needed and a number of holders 67 are installed, the assembling efficiency is lowered and the operability is not consistently provided by the defect of assembly.